Brave Ones
by I.made.you.up.in.my.heaD
Summary: So high school life is all fine and dandy till your math teacher tries to kill you, your new best friend is attached to you by the hip, and your brother is hiding things from you. Things that could shake your very core. Nothing is ever easy. T for now.


**Ok, my last story didn't work out so well, and this one is just something I work on when I'm at a block on my FictionPress story. / But if any of you really like it, (even though it's only the first chapter) I'll keep writing on it. Some crazy shit is gonna take place folks. But not right now. ) Enjoy! Oh, and I'm really blind, (but not blind enough to stop writing!) so if you spot a typo, I am sorry, forgive me, I am trying, and if you rave about it, I will kill you. )**

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The first day of school is never easy. It's like walking into a jungle with nothing but a ruler and a pair of scissors to defend yourself. Everyone is watching you, immediately judging on whether you are worthy or not to hang out with their posse. It's like lions versus hyenas. Both are predators, fighting for what right they believe is theirs. But if you watch animal planet, you'd know that lions always win.

The lions are the kids with the most money. The ones who can afford diamonds, and their fancy whoo-ha dilly iPods. They always wear what's classified as "in." If they don't wear it, it's not "in." They buy expensive perfume, and look at others like a lord would look at peasant in the old days.

The hyenas, are like mix breeds. Most are kids who don't care for the eloquent life, and are perfectly happy the way they are. Some take on their own fashions, some follow the lions like lost puppies. It's a confusing scale of trends. Emo, punk, goth, prep, cross-dresser, whores, the list goes on into eternity.

The lions and hyenas are always glaring at the other though. They'll growl behind the others back, and try to ruin the life of someone they don't like. They don't fight much, they just devise devious schemes to shatter the others heart. But I've always believed that if someone talks behind your back, it means that you're ahead.

And in the jungle, you have to be ahead or you get swallowed, chewed, then spat out on the sidewalk like a piece of gum that's lost its flavor. So that's why I've decided I'm one of the hyenas, because somewhere in that confusing scale of trends, there are the invisible people. And those are the people, every one else leaves alone. With no one talking behind my back, or trying to ruin my life with devious diplomacy, I can make sure I stay ahead long enough to stay alive, and not get eaten.

My first day of school, I walked with my brother Roxas. He smiled brightly, wanting nothing more than another year of laughing with his friends, taking girls numbers ten at a time, and getting straight A's all year, and therefore, getting all the money our parents rewarded him with. I classified him as a lion, because all though he wasn't rich, he was one of those lucky people that had it easy. Everything came naturally for him, and was immediately popular to everyone. They hung around him in hopes some of his good luck would rub off on them.

I, on the other hand, dreaded the first day of school, as I did every new school year. I wondered if my junior year would be any better than my last year. Last year I had made a friend with a lion. Her name was Larxene. Eventually she deemed me unworthy, and then her devious diplomacy came into play. Lets just say the rest of they year was horrible, and I was stuck to the sidewalk for months.

Roxas nudged my shoulder, waking me from my day dream.

"You ready for this Namine? This year is gonna be great!" He said cheerily. I smiled at him. I loved his optimism. I wouldn't trade him for any other brother in the world. Though he was popular, and was always crowded by people, he still found time to sit next to me at lunch, help me with my homework, and then eventually go to the arcade with me and rave that the machine was broken because we died in the game.

"Yeah I'm ready." I lied. He didn't catch the instability in my voice, and his smile broadened. He was a good brother, but he was kind of an oblivious brother.

Roxas opened the front doors for me, after we had cut a path through the crowds in front. He pulled out his schedule, and I followed his lead. I had math first, one of my worst subjects. He smiled over at me.

"I've got chemistry! I get to blow things up!" He beamed.

"I have geometry…" I said. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Geometry is easy Namine! Its just shapes and numbers!" He poked the right side of his head. "It's all in the imaginative side of your brain! That's what my teacher told me last year. And you're full of imagination, so you'll be a wiz in that class!"

I smiled at him. "Well you blow things up on your free time, so chemistry should just be another excuse to destroy your old iron man dolls."

"Action figures!" He protested, teasingly. I laughed at him.

"Their still dolls in my book." I waved at him as I walked down the hall. "See you at lunch!" I called. He waved back as he ran down the other hall, disappearing into the mass of teenagers and murmured talking.

I walked into the girls bathroom, the one that was always empty. It was the one in the library, where hardly anyone went. So I could usually find solitude there. I looked myself over in the mirror. I knew I wanted to be classified as one of the invisible people, but that didn't mean I couldn't look nice right?

My light golden hair had been combed neatly over my shoulder, some it falling behind my back. It fell over my heart shaped face like a veil, and matched perfectly with my pale skin. My deep azure eyes looked like rippling pools, reflecting all they saw. My slender lips were a shade darker than my skin. I wore a white tank top, which seemed to accent my willowy figure, and light denim jeans. I wore blue sandals with white flowers on them, a white belt with a gold buckle. My light pink jacket was slightly baggy around the sleeves, and had the design of a chibi bunny giving off the peace sign on the back.

When I was satisfied with my look, I walked out into the hall, slinging my denim duffle bag over my shoulder. I thought of Roxas on my way. He wore a black tee-shirt with the band logo, "Him." I liked Him too, but I didn't think a girl could wear Him stuff. He wore baggy black kaprees, with the knees torn and a skull and crossbones patch on the left back pocket. A studded black belt kept his pants up, aided by a silver chain that hung like a necklace around his right leg. He had on black converse shoes with red laces. He was one of the kids that wore what he wanted, and didn't care if others didn't approve.

I wondered if I was like that. I wondered if I was as confident as him. Probably not, but I knew I was willing to try. This was my last thought as I opened the door to my geometry class.

It looked like I expected it to look. Just like any other class room, it was fortified with things of geometry, number and shape posters all over the wall. The desks were all lined up in front of the projector, and the kids were screaming in their desks, throwing paper air planes into the air. I walked up the teacher, a middle aged man in a suit, and cleared my throat.

"Are their assigned seats?" I asked. He smiled at me, not in a creepy way, but in a teacher way.

"No, you can sit where you like."

I immediately sat in the front. No one noticed people in the front. So I had taken up my territory, and hoped that no lions or hyenas would try to challenge me. I couldn't handle anymore emotional damage, and I'd rather avoid the sidewalk again. I may have been and invisible, but I wasn't a nobody.

I leaned on my elbow and thought how boring things were. It felt like we were all in one big line, slowly moving forward. Some had to go all the way to the back and start over, and some made it to the front. It was a line to your future, and getting there was an endless and repeated process. My mother always told me that one wrong move would ruin everything, and I'd have to go to the back of the line. I wondered if there was something interesting that could happen, something different and new, that wouldn't completely ruin my future.

I was jolted out of my daydream, when I boy practically jumped in the seat next to me. I held onto my notebook, and stood frozen in fear for a moment, as if a random atom bomb was coming down on us. The boy laughed at me.

"Sorry." He said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

I relaxed and blushed. I didn't like surprises, and it was really easy to surprise me since I was always daydreaming. I'd have to find a cure for that sooner or later.

"N-no, it's ok…" I said. I turned away a sulked to myself. I had only been here five minutes, and already I felt like a fool.

"I'm Riku. What's your name?" I looked over at Riku. He had long silver hair, the back held up in a ponytail so his bangs caressed hid handsome face. His eyes were a green that reminded me of the sea. I found myself thinking of foaming waves, endless water, and sandy beaches, looking at me through his eyes. He wore a white tank top, not like mine, and a blue collar jacket over it. He wore several studded belts, and tight, but not too tight, denim jeans. A pair of converse shoes completed the outfit. He was handsome, and sexy I had to admit.

"I'm Namine…" I said.

He smiled at me and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Namine! Beautiful name by the way."

I shook his hand and smiled back at him. Was he just being nice to me because he made me jump a little? He looked like one of the lions to me…I didn't want to get mixed up with them.

"Um, you too…I mean, you have a nice name." I said. This is why I'm not very social… He laughed at me.

"Your not very good with words are you?" He teased. I glared at him, and then sighed.

"No…I guess not."

He smiled at leaned in to look at my binder, of which my schedule lay bare for memorization. He beamed.

"Wow, we have a lot of the same classes. Including English." He brushed some of the hair out of my eyes. "I'll help you, kay?"

It was a simple gesture, maybe not romantic, but all the same I froze and starred at him.

Then the bell rang, and I used that as an excuse to quickly turn away. The teachers stepped up in front of the class, and smiled at all the silent faces.

"A dart is thrown at a circular dart board of radius one. The dart can land at any place on the dartboard with equal probability. What is the mean distance between where the dart hits and the center of the board?" He says. I stared at him in bewilderment. He certainly gets to the point doesn't he? Suddenly, he thrusts his stubby finger at me.

"You, Namine. What is the answer?" He smirked at me.

I thought for a moment. He was trying to humiliate me! What have a done to him? This is only my first day!

"Two thirds…" I said slowly. His smirk turned into a look of hatred.

"Well…" He said. "We have a numerical genius in the class today."

I grimaced. I should have just gotten it wrong on purpose.

"You are a cook in a remote area with no clocks or other way of keeping time other than a 4 minute hourglass and a 7 minute hourglass. You do have a stove however with water in a pot already boiling. Somebody asks you for a 9 minute egg, and you know this person is a perfectionist and will be able to tell if you undercook or overcook the eggs by even a few seconds. What is the least amount of time it will take to prepare the egg?" He asked me, smirking again.

He had to be kidding. The answer was right in the problem! "Nine minutes…"

"What is the volume of a tetrahedron with edge length of 1?!"

I decided to call it quits…I couldn't understand why this man hated me so, on my first day, but it was better not to push him on.

"I'm sorry Mr. Tanner. I don't know."

He beamed at me. "Well, not as smart as you thought hmm? You'll just have to study harder next time."

He walked to his desk to take role. Riku leaned over and whispered to me.

"What the heck was that all about?" He asked.

"I have no idea…" I managed to mumble. The first day wasn't going so well…

Throughout the class, Mr. Tanner would through me surprise questions, some of which had nothing to do with math. I would have to say "I don't know," or he would keep quizzing me. Every time I said that he would smirk and sometimes even laugh, then make some rude remark about my intelligence. How did this guy get hired?

I almost ran out of the class when the bell rang. Riku was calling my name, but I ignored him. That was horrible! It was only my first day, and the teacher hated me so much, that he saw fit to humiliate me every other minute. What did I do to deserve this?

At lunch, and sat in the courtyard waiting for Roxas. He always found me, no matter where I was. I sipped on a juice box as I waited. I never ate much at lunch. I didn't like to eat in front of people.

Riku sat in front of me. I smiled at him, despite my fowl mood.

"Hey." He said. "Sorry about what happened in math…Can you believe that guy?"

"No…I don't even know what I did to make him mad…" I said sadly.

"Hey don't worry about it. I won't just sit and watch like today anymore, kay? I said I'd help you out didn't I? Not just in English."

I smiled at him. He was perfect…So why was he talking to me.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Riku asked.

I nodded. "My brother."

"Oh, I was thinking I could take you down to get some pizza. It's a lot better then school lunch, and I just got my license back!"

I nearly choked on my juice. I coughed and held my chest as he laughed at me.

"I'm kidding! Sorry, I couldn't help it…My bus driver used to do that to us."

"I wonder if she was kidding…" I mumbled when I was done coughing up a hairball.

"He…And no, he wasn't kidding." He shrugged. "Funest bus ride I ever had."

"Hey Namine!" I looked over and saw Roxas running toward me, with his old friend Hayner running next to him. Hayner had blonde hair that was combed back, and he wore a black shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and an out of the ordinary skull logo on the front. He wore camo pants, and black sneakers, with sweet bands below his shoulders. He went hunting, and stayed in the woods during the summer, so when it came time to join civilization, he never really adjusted.

Roxas jumped on the seat next to me, and gave me a big hug. I hugged him back, as Hayner came up on my other side and messed up my hair.

"Hey, cut it out!" I whined. Hayner smiled at me.

"It's good to see you too."

Roxas pointed at Riku. "Boyfriend?" He asked simply. I gasped.

"No! I just met him in math!"

Roxas laughed at me, and then looked at Riku. "So, eventual boyfriend?"

Riku was about to say something, then Hayner interrupted. "Hey guys, we should go."

We all looked at him.

"Why?" Roxas asked, still clinging to me.

Hayner looked stern. "I got some friends waiting for me. Olette wants to see you, Namine. C'mon." He motioned for us to follow.

I looked over at Riku. "Do you want to co-"

"C'mon!" Hayner urged. Roxas pushed me off the bench and held my hand as he followed Hayner. I looked back at Riku.

"Sorry!" I called. He smiled and waved to me, as a spiky hair boy, and a girl with red hair sat down with him.

Hayner didn't stop till we were all the way to the end of the school. Then he turned suddenly and looked at me.

"Don't talk to that guy anymore." He said.

"Why not?" Roxas asked, putting an arm around me. "He seems nice, and I'm sure Namine is getting tired of us." He teased.

"Because he's with a gang…" Hayner said. We both stopped in shock.

"A…A g-gang…?" I stuttered.

Hayner's expression softened and he nodded. "Yeah, I've seen him hanging around the Black Bird's crew. He's bad news."

"But…He was so nice…He was gonna help me in English, and with the nasty math teacher…" I was disappointed. Riku seemed like a one in a million friend. Then again, so did Larxene.

"Sorry Namine, but I don't want you to get hurt. Just stay away from that guy ok?" Hayner said.

I nodded.

"Did you say nasty math teacher?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, Mr. Tanner…"

"Oh boy…" Roxas rubbed the back of his head.

"I ticked that guy off so bad my freshman year, he became a junior teacher, and made sure to keep me on his, "Do not let through the door!" list… I hope he's not being a jerk to you because of what I did…"

I starred at him, wide eyed. My perfect brother, the straight "A" student and popular "in" guy, wasn't so perfect after all. I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I had a math teacher who hated me for what my brother did, and a guy who seemed to like me was part of a murderous gang. On my first day. Nothing is ever easy.

**So yeah, if I get like 2 or 3 reviews I'll be really happy, and keep writing. I post these for a reason people! To know if my stuff is any good! otherwise this is just an extra storage system. /**


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